Chapter 144: Who Are You Really?
A white space. The system screen floated in midair.
He had died again. Normally, this would be the time to analyze ability points and prepare for the next attempt—but he wasn't doing that.
Lying on the ground, Natsuki Subaru was deep in thought. What he was thinking about had nothing to do with how to destroy the Witch Cult.
After all, he was confident that a few more "returns by death" would be enough to wipe them out. Even if he just randomly allocated points and rushed out, he could eliminate the threat posed by the Witch Cult.
Subaru turned over irritably where he lay. What occupied his mind were the memories he saw—the memories of his greatest current enemy, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth.
Because of these partial memories, Subaru had already learned the limits of Petelgeuse's powers, the conditions of his resurrection, and the locations of the Witch Cult's hidden bases.
But beyond those... In Petelgeuse's memories, he had seen other things—things that now tormented him.
"Ahhh!!! So annoying!!!" Frustrated, Subaru sat up, his eyes drifting toward the system interface.
Right now, he had two options: He could pretend he hadn't seen anything and eliminate Petelgeuse… Or— He could try to save him.
Faced with these two choices, Subaru really wanted to choose the first. But after seeing those memories… How could he truly go through with killing him?
Yes— Petelgeuse had done many terrible things. Regardless of the reasons, he had to take responsibility for all the innocent lives lost because of him.
Even Subaru hated Petelgeuse deeply.
Because of him, Subaru had failed many times. He had watched helplessly as those he wanted to protect died before his eyes.
How could he not hate him? How could he not despise him?
Subaru recalled the deeply buried memories Petelgeuse had locked away in his heart. Even if he had intentionally forgotten them, buried them deep inside… It was as if he had never truly escaped from that part of his past.
"Ugh… I get it now. I really do…" With a sigh, Subaru forced himself to regain composure. Now, he had to think—how to take on a task that was both thankless and nearly impossible.
Right now, whether it was his knowledge or his abilities, he had no way to save Petelgeuse. His mental state had collapsed long ago, replaced by an entirely new personality.
There were ways to save him—but those ways only existed in theory. He had no idea how to get the system to load the powers he needed.
In terms of knowledge, he could ask for help— But time was too short. There wasn't enough time to consult Puck or Beatrice.
His only hope now lay in the ??? skill under the Esper Powers category. He didn't know what it did. He didn't know how it triggered.
"Points left: 3930… Should I bet everything on this?" But if he wanted to bet, he'd need to die again to find out if the system would update the ability.
After hesitating a moment, Subaru began allocating points. Once he finished, his stats looked like this:
Strength: 6 Defense: 7 Agility: 6 Esper Powers: 8 Mana Capacity: 4 Gate Quality: 5
Strength Advancement
Overdrive Burst: 2 All-Out Strike: 1
Agility Advancement
Bullet Time: 1 Reflex Speed: 1
Defense Advancement
Battle Endurance: 2 Abnormal Status Resistance: 1
Esper Power Advancement
Mental Resistance: 1 ???: 5
Gate Quality Advancement
Power Amplification: 1 Gate Size: 1
Points Left: 90
Subaru stared at the finished page. All his hope was pinned on that mysterious skill.
"Ohhh!! Beloved believer! Welcome to my presence!"
Subaru looked at the smiling face of Petelgeuse, bowed slightly, and said: "Nice to meet you… Geuse."
"Hm? No, no, no, beloved believer! My name is Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, yes!! Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, representing Sloth! Don't get it wrong!"
Subaru slowly nodded, glanced around, and said: "It's just the two of us here, right?"
"Indeed, that's correct. But why do you ask?"
"Just to be sure. I came here for Emilia's sake… I'd prefer our conversation to stay between us."
"Ohohohoho!! So you're here for the Witch as well?! How diligent!! Compared to the other Archbishops, you truly are a faithful believer of the Witch— a symbol of diligence!! AHHHHH!! MY BRAIN IS TREMBLING!!!"
Subaru silently watched the raving Petelgeuse, clenching and unclenching his fist.
"Such a thick Witch's scent… Could it be? Are you Pride? That's the only vacant Archbishop seat left… you must be Pride, right?"
"Pride, huh? To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. But if I had to say—yeah, I'm probably Pride. Prideful enough to come here alone. Prideful enough to want to save you…"
"…What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said."
Subaru lifted a foot and stepped toward Petelgeuse. He locked eyes with him as he walked—until they were face to face, close enough to reach out and touch.
"What are you saying? Are you really Pride? No, you must be—your scent doesn't lie."
"Yeah, I'm Pride. But not the Pride of the Witch Cult. I'm just a prideful shut-in. I sent my friends away, came alone to face you. If that's not Pride, what is it?"
With a smile on his face, Subaru rested a hand on Petelgeuse's shoulder. Petelgeuse glanced at it—still feeling no hostility from this strange man.
"Do you know something?"
"Know what?"
"This isn't our first meeting. Our relationship… should've been one of mutual hatred. But when you leaned over me once, I saw something. Something you didn't want to remember—but never truly forgot."
Petelgeuse said nothing. His expression was unnaturally calm.
Subaru leaned closer, whispering into his ear:
"Geuse… Are you really insane, or are you just running away? Why does it feel like you're wearing madness as a mask—to escape something? But the more I think about it… maybe you really are insane.
Still, I'm curious—when you killed Emilia's mother, Fortuna, with your own hands… What were you thinking?"
"Sloth Authority! Invisible Hands!"
Suddenly, Petelgeuse screamed— and several deep-purple arms burst from his back.
Subaru's pupils shrank. He didn't have time to wonder how he could suddenly see those arms now.
In a world slowed to a crawl just for him, Subaru dodged back at lightning speed.
He watched Petelgeuse clutch his head and collapse to his knees, smashing his skull against the ground over and over.
"No! I am Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti! I must fulfill the Witch's Gospel!"
From his back, the number of purple arms continued to multiply— So many they threatened to cover the sky.
Subaru stared, and then asked in a quiet voice:
"Hey… who are you really?"